The Boy In The Battlefield
by TheBlueWolf888
Summary: Beings from Kowalski's past come back inform him of a massive world domination plot. Now it's up to him, the other penguins and Team Alpha to stop Team Omega's scheme. Rated for depth, sorta. Not a slash.
1. Meeting With Old Friends

**Who I Truly Am**

**Me: **Folks, have you ever wondered about where Kowalski got his smarts? Well, fret no more for I have found a secret file that answers this very question. And believe me, it really is shocking. So now, I shall spill the beans and let the whole world know about this.

**Shadow: **Oh no, you don't!

**Flyff: **We won't let you have that file! That contains Lars' – I mean – Kowalski's secrets!

**Ripclaw: **Yeah! Our leader's, er, friend's life is all based on that!

**Me:** Well, that makes it all the more interesting, doesn't it?

**Viper: **Get him!

**Me: **Oh boy, gotta run! I don't own anything except the ferret, the swallow, the wolf and the cobra chasing me!

Meeting With Old Friends

Another fine day at the Central Park Zoo. Everyone was busy trying to impress the people watching them in order to get sweet treats. The day ended with smiles on the visitors' faces, full bellies in every animal and a scowl on Alice the zookeeper's face.

"Great, the women's room needs some cleaning!" she complained, mop and bucket in hand.

As the zookeeper cleaned the comfort room, the penguins did a little recon in the park, stealing cotton candy and snowcones from vendors in process. Seeing that nothing was unusual, they headed back to their habitat in time for Alice to give them their supper. As they played Go Fish in their secret HQ, they heard a high-pitched shriek.

"Great mother McArthur! What was that?" Skipper exclaimed, standing up and putting his cards on the table.

"Judging by the distance and the pitch of the shriek, I could conclude that that was Mort in the Lemur Habitat," Kowalski answered.

"What should we do, Skippah?" Private asked as Rico threw up a dynamite stick.

"No, Rico, not kaboom," Skipper scolded, "we're gonna check it out. Perhaps Sad Eyes overdid his thing with Ringtail's feet. Move out, men!"

When the four got there, they were surprised to see a black panther cornering the lemurs to a, well, corner of their habitat.

"WHERE IS HE?" the panther furiously inquired, flashing her fangs that made the lemurs shudder. "WHERE IS LARS SORENSEN?"

"Step away from the lemurs, cat," Skipper ordered.

"Penguins! Am I glad to see you!" Julien cried out happily.

_Penguins?_ The panther turned around. She growled then leapt at Kowalski as the others moved out of the way.

"Nice to see you again, Lars," she said, licking her lips. "It's been a long time."

"And so it has, Nightbane," Kowalski returned, "you haven't changed one bit. Where are the others? I'm surprised Blackfeather let you go alone. You were still a teensy cub when I left."

Nightbane snarled at the comment and raised her right paw to swipe him. With his free flipper, the penguin jabbed the underside of her jaw full-forcedly several times then pushed her off with his feet. The panther was sent flying a few feet away as he got up.

"Kowalski, what's the meaning of this?" Skipper questioned, coming to his side. "Who was that cat and why did she call you 'Lars'?"

"No time to explain, Skipper," Kowalski replied, noticing Nightbane running towards them, "Get out of here! I'll fill in the blanks later."

The sudden urge and sternness in his voice made Skipper do what he was told. As the panther was almost on top of him, Kowalski jumped and landed on her back facing backwards. He lassoed her tail onto a nearby bamboo and hopped off. The plant flexed backward, then shot forward, lifting Nightbane off the ground and throwing her a good distance away.

"We need to get to a safe place," Kowalski said, his voice in an oddly serious tone, "reinforcements will be coming in any minute now."

No sooner had he said that when a huge Komodo dragon barged in. The penguins slid away on their bellies while the lemurs sought the safety of some nearby trees. The lizard chased the flightless birds to a wall.

"Trapped!" Skipper cursed as they turned to face the humungous reptile.

"You're mine now, Lars," he stated, flicking his tongue, "you and your little friends."

"We don't think so, Haze" a voice above yelled, making everyone look up.

A chocolate brown wolf landed in between Haze, the Komodo, and the penguins. He snarled as the lizard hissed then smacked him with his paw. A navy blue swallow swooped in and pecked his scaly face as an ash gray ferret with a black tail tip leapt onto his back and began scratching it. An olive green cobra slithered in and bit his tail. Thinking that he had enough, Haze retreated through a hole in the ground behind the Lemur Habitat. Kowalski approached the animals and gave them each a hug.

"Viper! Shadow! Ripclaw! Flyff! Long time no see!" he chimed cheerfully.

"Glad to see you're still safe, Lars," the cobra, Viper, hailed.

"Commander Lars, how are you?" Ripclaw, the brown wolf, asked, nuzzling his snout on Kowalski's back.

"You sure look like you never aged, Sir," Shadow the ferret chuckled, patting the tall penguin's left shoulder.

"And you're taller than what I remembered," the swallow known as Flyff added, perching on his head.

"Excuse me! Would anyone tell me what's going on?" Skipper interrupted, flippers folded across his chest and tapping his right foot.

Immediately, Ripclaw pounced on him while Shadow pinned Rico to the ground and Flyff grabbed Private's flippers and hoisted him up.

"Whoa! Guys, stop! They're not with Blackfeather!" Kowalski shouted, making them let the penguins go. "Don't worry, Skipper. I'll explain everything to you."

"Can they be trusted?" Viper questioned, looking warily at Skipper, Rico and Private.

""Of course, they can. They're my friends and I trust them with my life.


	2. Knowing

**Who I Truly Am**

**Me: **You animals shall never have this back!

**Flyff: **We will! Then, we're gonna punish you badly for stealing it.

**Ripclaw:** That file means a whole lot to us and Lars, so give it back!

**Me: **You'll have to pry it out of my cold, dead hands!

**Viper: **You leave us with no other choice, human. Everyone, go into offensive!

**Shadow (tries to snatch it out of my hands but misses):** Return the file at once!

**Me: **Ha, epic fail! And no, this baby is all mine! Mwahahahaha! I own Team Alpha and Team Omega but not PoM.

**Flyff: **And the file!

**Me: **I _so _own this file. And I know karate! Hi-Ya! On with the story!

**Team Alpha: **Noooooooo!

Knowing

"So you're telling me that Kowalski's the leader of a response team the humans created for dangerous missions but then forgot about?" Skipper inquired.

"And that his real name is Lars Sorensen?" Private also asked.

"Glarba gabbah goru zuka?" Rico added.

"Yes, yes and I have no idea what that meant, but yes," Viper answered.

The animals were in the penguins' HQ since the zoo guard was awakened by the ruckus earlier and has phoned the police. They had a rough time getting in, though, since Ripclaw got stuck in the entrance for while so they had to push him in.

"Look, I know it's pretty hard to believe in, but we're all telling the truth," Kowalski or Lars, rather, said, earning a scowl from Skipper.

"You bet that it's hard to believe in!" the leader penguin barked. "Team Alpha? Team Omega? Project Super Troop? I don't get one single bit of it!"

"Practically, Team Alpha is the team I lead, composed of me, Viper, Ripclaw, Flyff and Shadow," Kowalski elaborately explained. "Team Omega is led by Blackfeather, an egomaniac raven, whose comrades are Nightbane, the panther that attacked the lemurs, Haze, the Komodo dragon that pursued us earlier, Fennec, a fox and the quickest of their team, and Terrorclaw, a harpy eagle and Blackfeather's right hand man.

"Project Super Troop is the plan the humans formulated to reduce the crime rate by sending a team of mentally and physically enhanced animals into the danger zone. It all went wrong when Blackfeather became greedy and realized that he could use his enhancements to terrorize people. He then formed a team of his own with the other animals that the humans experimented on which is Team Omega.

"And so, there was a fight between us and his team. Since his teammates were basically untrained and inexperienced in battle, we won. But Team Omega escaped. Thinking that the threat was gone, the humans shut down Project Super Troop."

"Then that would mean that they would shut you down, too, right?" Private pointed out.

"Right. So we escaped, split up and went our separate ways, disguising as ordinary animals to prevent the humans from catching then brainwashing us. By the way, what did you guys get into after we broke up?"

"I spent my days in some rich human's terrarium," Viper replied, "Flyff here joined a flock of barn swallows like her while Ripclaw went to Yellowstone and became the alpha male of a wolf pack there. Shadow stayed in the woods where we last saw each other."

"And I was going about, doing my own business when I spotted Fennec and Nightbane in a thicket, pretty much grown up and talking about a search plan their boss Blackfeather sent out," Shadow added. "And guess what, that plan was about looking for us then killing us off one by one before we would even get the chance to meet again. You were the first in the list so I sent a message to reform the team and followed their tracks in order to find you."

"Nice work, Shadow. You still are the best scout I have ever known," Kowalski/Lars praised.

"So let me get this straight," Skipper butted in again, eyebrows tightly furrowed, "you were the leader of a government-insured secret force and you never told us about it? You lied about everything we know about you and you never had the guts to tell us? Should we even call you Kowalski or Lars?"

Said penguin looked down, sighed and nodded sadly. Skipper eventually stormed out and settled on a branch of a tree in the park. He punched the bark several times before slumping down on the branch. But then came into battle position when he sensed someone sneaking up on him.

"Wow, you sure are alert with your surroundings, even when angry," Viper remarked, coiling his body around the branch to give himself more grip.

"I'm not angry. I'm just disappointed that Kowalski, er, Lars kept all of this from me and my team for years now," Skipper sighed then sat on the branch.

"You can call him whatever names you like, as long as it's comfortable with you and him."

There was a momentary silence as the two viewed the stars in the night sky.

"You know, Lars is a good leader," Viper finally spoke out, "he looks out for his teammates and has complete trust in them."

"How long has he been your leader?" Skipper asked, still looking at the sky.

"For as long as I remember. He became our leader a month after he has hatched."

"A month?"

"Yup. I was the first animal who passed the humans' experiment. Then came Shadow a year later, Ripclaw another year later, Flyff six months and Lars a week after Flyff."

"Then that makes him – "

"The youngest? Yes, it does. After all these years, I'm still impressed that he still was as smart as before. Perhaps even more than before."

"How long have you guys been a team? I noticed that your bond is quite strong."

"Ten years, I think. Then we broke up and meet here six years later."

"Ten then six. Wait, he's just sixteen years old?"

"Guess so. The humans made our lives snappy and stuff. In fact, he was fully fledged in just three months."

"He's only a year older than Private! I never expected him to be this young!"

"Why are you shocked about this anyway? Isn't this natural for a commando guy like you?"

"It is. I've started my military days when I was two. But he acts so much older than his age that I thought that he was somewhere in between twenty-five and thirty! It's just disturbing."

"I know. He needed to mature faster than us since he was made the leader. The humans gave him no break with his training. Even he himself made sure that he had exercises for eighteen hours everyday. Sometimes, he would even go for twenty."

"Why didn't they make you the leader? I mean, you are practically the eldest and have more experience."

"I might be, but Lars was the most intelligent and he recognized things faster than any of us could. His only rival was Blackfeather when it comes to intellectual fitness. And if you think that I have more experience then you're wrong. He underwent five years worth of training in just a month."

"Five years in a month? Life for him must be tough, considering all of that."

"It was. But he went through it whole-heartedly and got stronger as he did. That's why the humans call him 'The Boy in the Battlefield' in the first place. And he inspired all of us with his determination and we have our full respect for him for that."

There was a pause again. Skipper needed the information to sink in deeper for him to understand. He thought he knew his options guy well but it looks like he didn't. Entering the warzone at such a young age? Completely outrageous. This time, it was him who first broke the silence.

"What do you think of him aside from being a good leader?"

He saw Viper close his eyes and smiled. When he opened them, they were a bright shade of chartreuse instead of being brown like what they were before. In fact, they seemed to be glowing.

"He is a friend like no other," the cobra replied, still smiling, "he is always by your side and would never have the guts to leave anyone alone. He may be cold and distant at times, but deep inside, he cares a whole lot for the people around him. You're lucky that he's on your team, Skipper. It is guaranteed from the start that he will never leave you behind. He'll do anything to keep his comrades safe, even if it means sacrificing his own life to make it possible."

Skipper also smiled then turned back to the sky, just in time to see a shooting star pass by. He and Viper then headed back to the HQ, for it was already getting cold.


	3. Truce

**Who I Truly Am**

**Team Alpha: **GIVE US BACK THAT FILE!

**Me: **Never! I have spilled out one secret and now I want to do the same to the rest! Mwahahahaha!

**Blackfeather: ** Is that the document that contains every one of Lars' deepest, darkest secrets including his weaknesses?

**Me: **Well duh! Why do you think is Team Alpha after me?

**Blackfeather: **Fascinating. Team Omega, retrieve that document! I want to know Lars' primary weakness in order to defeat him!

**Me: **Great, now the bad guys are also chasing me! I own anything in this story except everything in PoM.

**Team Alpha and Team Omega:** And the file!

**Me: **Yeah, right! Let Chapter Three begin!

Truce

When Skipper and Viper came back to the HQ, they were greeted by Shadow, Flyff and Ripclaw who were packing up stuff, practically some of Kowalski/Lars' inventions.

"What the deuce is going on here?" Skipper uttered one of his infamous catchphrases.

"Viper, Commander Lars has decided to seek the aid of some people to fight against Blackfeather and his Team Omega," Shadow informed, slinging a duffel bag onto his left shoulder.

"Aid? But the only ones who could provide us with proper help are – "

"The humans? You're right, Viper," a voice behind them finished.

Kowalski/Lars came out of his lab, but he looked different. The feathers on his chest were ruffled. So were the ones on the top of his head and they took the form of hair with some bangs covering up the right side of his forehead. But the most noticeable change was his eyes. Instead of being sapphire blue like the penguins', they were a vivid amethyst purple. There was a confident, sort of smug, atmosphere around him as his beak pursed into a smirk.

"We need to get our gear back from the humans," he said, putting on the strap of a ray gun.

"Lars, we need to think this through," Viper suggested, "the humans probably want to have our heads for escaping from them six years ago. Don't you think that it's too risky?"

"What happened to your spunk, Viper? I thought that you wanted to beat the crap out of Terrorclaw for being such a bully to you when we were young."

"I know, but Lars, why go back to the humans? I mean, we've got equipment right here. We don't need stuff from them."

"While you two were away discussing whatever it is that needs to be discussed, we received a live video feed from Blackfeather, saying that he teamed up with Dr. Blowhole."

"The bottlenose dolphin who wanted his revenge on the humans?"

"Precisely."

"And we're coming along with you," Skipper stated.

"What? Why?"

"Since Blowhole is in this mix, it's our priority to stop him."

After a good deal of arguing, the leader of Team Alpha gave in, on the condition that the penguins only deal with Blowhole and only Blowhole. Skipper agreed and the animals made their way past the police and the firemen in the zoo and boarded a truck heading to….

"New Jersey? Why New Jersey?" Private asked.

"Because the base of the humans who formed Project Super Troop is in Hoboken," Flyff answered as Skipper, Rico and Private cringed. "Why, what's wrong?"

"It's just that Hoboken fills us with bad memories. Very bad memories," Skipper groaned, shivering a bit, "which is classified, by the way."

Within a few hours, they were all standing in front of an abandoned warehouse.

"Is this it? It seems pretty much deserted," Private noted.

Kowalski/Lars shook his head then ordered his team to go in. They entered sneakily but, thinking that it was safe, the penguins came in leisurely. Wrong move because as soon as they came through the door, they were caught by snares and were surrounded by several armed men.

"Look at we have here. Penguins!" a man in a white lab coat and glasses said. "What are a bunch of flightless birds doing here?"

"They're with me, Jackson," Kowalski/Lars snarled, bringing out his ray gun and his teammates by his side. "So let 'em go."

"Lars, is that really you? It's a surprise seeing you back here, after you and your comrades escaped six years back."

"He's back, Jackson, he and Team Omega. And they're much stronger now."

"So, I guess you'll be needing your tools then. Am I correct?"

"Indeed. We believe that Blackfeather's formulating a plan to take over this world and –"

"You still are determined to beat him, Lars. Let the human government take care of this. I'm sure we can work things out."

"Jackson, you and I both know that Blackfeather can adapt fast. Since I know him better than any of you humans, it would be best to work together to thwart whatever preparations he has in store."

Jackson rubbed his chin then a sly grin appeared on his face. The penguins gulped. Usually a grin like that would mean trouble. A lot of trouble.

"Very well, Lars. We shall help you," he agreed, "but on the condition that you and Team Alpha surrender after we capture Team Omega. I have a new experiment in mind and I would require test subjects."

The tall penguin turned to his comrades. They had worried looks in their eyes but they eventually nodded.

"We accept, as long as we can put an end to Blackfeather and his crazy schemes," he gave in, putting down his gun then extending out his right flipper. "Is it a temporary truce then?"

Jackson took his flipper and shook it. He ordered the soldiers to free the penguins then proceeded to a giant crate. He punched in a code on the keypad on the crate and the crate's side that faced him opened up. He offered Team Alpha and Team Penguin to go in first and they did. Once they were inside, the floor underneath them rumbled then descended like an elevator. They went down a tunnel. After a few minutes they came out and into something like an underground facility filled with unusual contraptions, odd devices and more humans in lab coats. The humans gave way to Jackson and the animals, surprised and annoyed looks on their faces. One human, a teenaged boy with blonde hair and brown eyes, rushed forward and hugged Kowalski/Lars, alarming the penguins.

"Lars, you're back! Boy, am I glad to see you!" the boy exclaimed, letting the penguin go from his 'death hold', as Skipper saw it.

"Jerry, is that you? You're all grown up now! How old are you? You were just eight or so when I last saw you," Kowalski/Lars chuckled, ruffling up his hair. "Hey, guys, you remember Jerry, right? He always comes to visit and watch us train."

"Is that really Jerry? He was just a pipsqueak then," Viper mocked, slithering onto the teen's left arm.

"Wow, you're so tall now, Jerry!" Ripclaw admired, rubbing his head on Jerry's leg.

"And cute," Flyff giggled, lightly pecking his cheek.

"Man, you look so much like you're old man," Shadow noticed, settling on his right shoulder.

"Guys, it's so nice to see you again," Jerry laughed as the animals got off him. "Hang on, who are those penguins over there?"

"Oh, them? This is Skipper, Private and Rico," Kowalski/Lars informed, "Skipper is the leader of the team of commando penguins, Private is under Special Operations while Rico is in charge of the weapons and explosives."

"Commando penguins, huh? Did they get their shots yet?"

Kowalski/Lars shook his head so Jerry brought out an injection filled with a strange, orange fluid. Skipper immediately freaked out at the first sight of the needle and was about to flee when Viper and Flyff held him back. In fact, the whole of Team Penguin was in the hold of Team Alpha, with Ripclaw pinning Rico down and Shadow restraining Private with his tail.

"Why is Skipper so scared?" Jerry asked.

"I'm not scared!" said penguin snapped, failing to get out of Flyff's and Viper's grips. "It's just that I have a fear of needles!"

"He has an extreme case of trypanophobia or better yet, he's afraid of needles," Kowalski/Lars repeated.

"Poor guy. This is gonna be hard for him," Jerry sighed.

The nearer Jerry and his needle got closer, the more the flat-headed penguin struggled. Viper forced out his right flipper and the teen stuck in the needle, much to Skipper's horror. The cobra and the swallow let go him as his world began to swirl. He fell to the ground and heard Private's and Rico's yelps before everything went black.


	4. Team Alpha's Training

**Who I Truly Am**

**Me (the animals have me surrounded and my back is against the wall): **Look guys, we can all settle this. Just let me read this file and I'll give it back to you.

**Viper: **That document is highly confidential and was never meant to be viewed by human eyes in the first place!

**Me (points at Team Omega): **How about them? Can they see it?

**Shadow: **Now that you mentioned it, no.

**Blackfeather: **So I can not see it? Not even a little peek?

**Team Alpha: **NO!

**Blackfeather: **Very well then. Team Omega, defeat Team Alpha in order to get that file!

**Terrorclaw: **Yes, Sir!

**Fennec: **Sure, Boss.

**Haze: **Okey-dokey

**Nightbane: **Whatever.

**Viper: **Team Alpha, do whatever you can to protect our leader's file from those goons!

**(And so, there was a big rumble between the two teams. I managed to slip away.)**

**Me: **Phew, that was close! Time to start with Chapter Four. I do not own PoM. Please proceed!

Team Alpha's Training

Skipper woke up, sat up, rubbed his head then looked around. Private and Rico were there, still unconscious. He went to them and felt their pulses. Luckily, they were still beating. He noticed that they were on an elevated platform with a glass dome covering them. He came to one side of the dome and tapped it. He wanted to get out so, with all his might, he punched the glass, only to get his knuckle hurt and yell in pain. The commotion eventually awakened Private and Rico.

"Skippah, is there something wrong?" the young penguin asked. "I heard you scream."

"Uh huh," Rico confirmed, massaging his cheeks and fixing his mohawk.

"It's nothing. I'm fine," their leader lied, caressing his aching flipper a bit then turned around to confront them.

All three gasped. Nothing changed in them, except for their eye colors, which was very noticeable since their eyes seemed to glow. Private's eyes were red-orange, just like the hue of the sky at sunset, while Rico's were a lush sea green and Skipper's were dandelion yellow. They all stared at each other for a while before Private suddenly broke the silence with a scared squeak.

"What happened to us?"

"Don't worry, Private. The changes in your eye colors are just minor side effects of the shots I gave you earlier," a voice answered, startling them.

The dome encasing them was lifted up and Jerry emerged from the shadows around the platform. The penguins jumped off the platform and waddled to him.

"What was in those shots you gave us?" Skipper interrogated, feeling where the injection's needle pierced his skin.

"A special fluid that can slightly adjust the pitch of your voices, allowing our translators to convert your squawks into words in our language," the teen explained, pointing to something like a communicating device attached to his right ear.

"Where's Kowalski?" Private inquired.

"If you're referring to Lars, then he's off doing some training exercises with his team. Jackson has given them back their weapons and he thinks that you three should have some as well, since you are included in the battle against Team Omega. Come with me to the arms room and we will hand you your new weapons."

So the penguins followed Jerry into a room filled with all kinds of weaponry on shelves. Rico was literally drooling. Never before had he seen so much artillery in his entire life.

"Your weapons are based on descriptions and capabilities of you three that Lars elaborated to us earlier, making them compatible with you and your fighting styles," Jerry said.

He stopped in front of one particular shelf that had futuristic weapons on it.

"Skipper, according to Lars, you have once used a ribbon to save your team from rogue electrical plugs. The officials in charge of our armaments have agreed to give you the Plasma Whip."

He handed a small cylinder to Skipper. The literally levelheaded penguin pushed its only button and out came a whip of energy. He grinned widely then struck the wall nearby with it, creating a gigantic diagonal lash. Jerry then turned to Private.

"Private, I have learned that you have had an experience in playing mini golf. This bo staff suits you, I believe. Turn the dial in the middle of the staff and it will turn into a spear, a battle axe and a mallet."

Private spun the dial and an energy spearhead appeared on the staff's end. He revolved it again two times to make the energy axe blade and the energy mallet head pop out. There was a nervous yet pleased expression on his face.

Jerry grabbed Rico by his right flipper and headed into some kind of dressing room. Squeals and screeches came from inside, puzzling the two penguins outside. Jerry then stepped out, looking quite proud.

"Gentlemen, I give to you, the Twin Hyperdrive Cannons," he introduced, "they can fire energy beams at a target selected by the cannons' user. They're the newest equipment we have made so far. Rico, show them what they look like."

Rico came out of the room wearing something like neon green goggles and with two huge bazooka-like devices on his shoulders. The goggles glowed, revealing a targeting system. Rico aimed at an empty shelf and fired two beams at it. There was a loud explosion and the penguin laughed maniacally.

"The goggles can read his urge to fire through his facial expressions and pupils' dilation. They then send the message to the cannons, which in turn perform it," Jerry clarified, once Rico stopped his laugh. "Now, it's time to go to the training arena. I'm sure Team Alpha is still working out to keep fit."

The human and the flightless commandos came to another room. It was small enough to fit at least fifteen people and had a full-sized glass pane as one of its walls. Team Penguin peered through the pane to see the members of Team Alpha dodging projectiles and fighting robotic droids in a very much larger area.

Jerry was right. They had weapons with them. Shadow shot down the droids with arm-mounted crossbows. Flyff attacked from above with two mechanical arms on her back while Viper struck below with a large sting on his tail. Ripclaw lunged at the droids with long, sharp claws on his forepaws as Kowalski/Lars knocked droids down with…

"Sticks? A pair of sticks?" Skipper scoffed.

"They're not sticks. They're called _tonfa_," Jerry corrected, "and they're quite as special as your weapons."

Skipper flashed a confused yet unconvinced look at him.

"Just wait, Skipper. You'll see what I mean pretty soon."

The projectiles zipped in faster now, making them harder to dodge, and the droids swarmed in more numerously. Flyff got hit by one projectile, faded then appeared suddenly at Private's side, surprising him and making him fall onto his back.

"Automatic teleportation system. It's so that we could avoid serious injuries while in training sessions," Jerry simply said as the swallow helped the young penguin up.

Soon, Shadow also faded, followed by Ripclaw then Viper. The only one left in the arena was the tonfa-wielding penguin.

"I never knew sticks could be handled like that," Skipper mumbled loud enough for Viper to hear.

"Lars is good with his tonfa. In fact, he has never got them damaged or broken before. That's the only pair he has ever used in his entire life," the cobra whispered to the leader penguin. "And he _always_ finishes training. He was never teleported here."

Skipper can only watch in awe as Kowalski/Lars battled his way through. But everything was becoming difficult to handle and he was slowly being cornered against a wall.

"Time to bring out the big guns," the tall penguin muttered to himself as he jumped into the air.

All of a sudden, huge energy blades sprouted from each tonfa. Kowalski/Lars cut down every droid in sight and deflected every projectile back at its source, causing an ear-bursting blast. When the dust settled and the smoke faded, he could be seen standing in the middle of a heavily-bombarded room, panting heavily as his tonfa's blades vanished. The glass pane rose up, letting in the rest of Team Alpha, Team Penguin and Jerry.

"You still have the skills, Lars," Viper chuckled.

"What? You think that they'd just go away like that?" Ripclaw questioned, looking offended. "Commander Lars Sorensen is the best among us and he won't just forget our training!"

"Whatever. I'm just glad that Boss here still have what it takes," Shadow shrugged off.

"Yeah," Flyff agreed. "It's been six years since we actually had our exercises. How do you do it, Sir?"

"Well, I have been hanging around in a zoo where trouble goes about every now and then," Kowalski/Lars answered, then turned to his penguin comrades, "with penguins who know their stuff. Speaking of zoos, I think it's time to head back to our place before we go."

"Huh? Why is that?" Private asked.

"You guys need to make preparations for our upcoming battle with Team Omega and Dr. Blowhole. And I guess that the preparations are back at our habitat in the zoo, right Skipper?"

Skipper wasn't listening .He was still staring at Kowalski/Lars with wide eyes. He still had those purple eyes of his and was now wearing these straps around him that were attached to two tubes on his back, perhaps sheaths or some casings for his sticks. There was also an army green beret on his head, with his feather bangs peering out.

"Um, Skippah?"

Private's call broke him out in his trance. He shook his head to snap out of it.

"Kowalski – I mean – Lars is right. We should make preparations," he finally said, sounding as suave as he ever was.

"It's alright, Skipper. You can call me Kowalski. It's okay with me as long as it's the same with you," Kowalski/Lars stated, placing his tonfa into their sheaths on his back.

"Right. So when do we return to the zoo?"

"For as much as possible, now."


	5. Before The Battle

**Who I Truly Am**

**Me (reading Kowalski/Lars' file while hiding behind a tree): **So he was named after the Swedish founder of Project Super Troop who is also Jerry's father, eh? Oh, hey there, readers! I am currently hiding from Team Alpha and Team Omega. Sorry if it took me some time to update. It was one heck of a week for me. Why? Because I had to finish a project for school and my parents won't even allow me to type a few chapters for this story!

**(Nightbane and Shadow pass by my tree. I sensed it and became silent.)**

**Nightbane: **After we find that human, the truce will be over, right?

**Shadow: **You read my mind, Pussycat.

**Me (Whispering.): **Kindly move on to Chapter Five. I do not own PoM.

Before The Battle

The four penguins were back at their HQ, fixing up their stuff and packing up whatever they needed for what seemed to be the fight of the century. They have agreed to meet up with Team Alpha later that evening, after they have prepared everything and made sure the whole zoo was secure for when they will be away. The only problem now was getting everything done without making anyone notice it.

They were just about finished when Marlene suddenly came in. Skipper activated his whip, Private grabbed his staff, Rico aimed his cannons at her and Kowalski/Lars brought out his tonfa from their sheaths.

"Whoa! What's with the weapons?" the otter quickly questioned, stepping back a bit. "And your eyes! They're not blue like what they used to be!"

"Marlene!" Skipper exclaimed, signaling his men to put their weapons down. "What are you doing here?"

"Coming for a visit. You guys have been unusually silent since I figured you'd be out and about, investigating what happened last night and – wait – Kowalski is that you?"

Skipper turned to the leader of Team Alpha. He was fixing his beret before rolling his eyes and answering her question.

"Yes, Marlene. Who else do you think I am?"

"Oh, s-sorry," she apologized, stammering. "It's just that you look so different, so…"

"So what?"

"So much younger."

She was right. He did seem very much more juvenile because of his appearance. Skipper didn't like this change. It made him look so much like his age. Which was unnatural because he always acted and did things that a sixteen-year-old wouldn't do. It only made the captain feel guilty at the fact that he had two adolescents on his team, the other one being Private. The youngest was fine, being soft and naïve and all. But Kowalski was a different matter. Kowalski who finished five years' training in a month. Who became the leader of an elite, secretive squadron a month after he had hatched. Who was fledged in just three months when it takes at least six. Who never had possibly lived through a life a normal penguin chick should…

"Are you guys going somewhere or something?"

Marlene's inquiry brought Skipper back to now, packing up and preparing for the battle.

"That's classified," he said his usual reason.

"Okay, that is it!" Marlene exclaimed. "I want to know where you're going, why your eyes are like that and why Kowalski is suddenly young-looking and attractive. Not that I'm saying he is."

Skipper turned to his teammates. They nodded. And so began their relating of what had happened earlier, making sure not to mention where Project Super Troop's secret facility was so that she won't be able to follow them.

"So you're telling me that Kowalski is Lars Sorensen, leader of a group of crime-fighting animals called Team Alpha, and that you're all going on a brawl against Team Alpha's nemesis, Team Omega?" she asked after their explanations and the penguins nodded.

At the next moment, she was helping them with their preparations. It went better than they had expected. As the sun began to set, they were already finished and Marlene paced back and forth, while they had a quick game of Go Fish.

"Is there something wrong, Marlene?" Private asked. "You looked troubled."

"No, everything's fine," she answered weakly, "just promise me that you guys will be alright when you get back."

"Marlene, Marlene," Kowalski/Lars chuckled as he shook his head, "you know that we are pretty much capable of things. Besides, we'll be going with my team."

"I know. I'll be leaving now."

Skipper knew that there _was_ something bothering her. So he went to her habitat and found her sitting on the top of her rock-slide-thingy.

"You seem upset," he said, coming to her side and startling her.

"Me? No it's nothing," the otter denied. "Sheez, is this a habit of yours to pop out of nowhere all of the sudden?"

"Sorry, can't help it. Commando thing. And being upset is not just nothing. So tell me what is bothering you."

"It's just that… I feel bad about Kowalski or whatever his name is."

"It's Lars, but you could call him Kowalski, it's alright with him. And why do you feel bad about him?"

"Isn't it obvious, Skipper? The guy didn't have much of a choice in life! He began these military things when he was just a hatchling instead of being out in the snow and spending time with his family and fellow penguin chicks. Heck, he doesn't even know who and where his family is right now! His life wasn't supposed to be like that. He deserved better."

"I know, Marlene. Fate had a different plan for him, I guess. He had to go through things much worse and faster than I did. He _is_ the head of Team Alpha, after all."

Skipper sat down beside her as she looked at the sky. It reminded him of the time when he and Viper talked about the genius penguin and what he had been through. He sighed. Why did fate have to be so cruel?

"And he's just sixteen. Imagine that! A guy who's sixteen years old, doing stuff that even you find hard to do!" Marlene ranted. "It's so despicable! So ruthless! So…"

"Unfair? Yeah, it is," Skipper huffed as Marlene huffed with him.

"Skipper, promise me that you'll all come back safely. Kowalski deserves to see and experience more than just secret missions and training and I'm sure that being with you, Private and Rico lightens his load. I can tell that you guys are the closest thing he's got to a family."

Skipper was astonished by what she said. The closest thing to a family? It warmed his heart up a bit as he recalled all those good times he spent with his team. He turned to look at her, his dandelion yellow eyes meeting her hazel brown ones.

"I promise," he said coolly, his gaze still on her.

A shrill whistle caught their attention. They both turned to its source to see Kowalski/Lars outside the HQ with Private and Rico, their equipment in hand. He pointed at Viper, Flyff, Ripclaw and Shadow who were standing by the zoo's gates.

"Gotta fly. Mission calling," he stated, hopping off the rock and onto the outside of Marlene's habitat.

"Oh, okay then," the otter simply replied, scratching the back of her head and blushing a bit. "Good luck and remember your promise!"

"I won't!"

Marlene watched from a distance as Team Penguin and Team Alpha trotted away from the zoo. The sun finally sunk down on the horizon and she went into her cave. An idea then came to her.

_I'll make sure that everything will be just right for when they will come back_, she thought, strumming her guitar a bit.


	6. The Welcoming Committee

**Who I Truly Am**

**(Haze and Ripclaw search around a dark alley.)**

**Haze: **Did you find anything, Furball?

**Ripclaw: **No, I didn't. How 'bout you, Leather Bag?

**(Haze hisses at his comment then shakes his head. They then leave the alley.)**

**Me (emerging from a nearby dumpster): **Good thing they didn't look into the dumpster. I am one lucky guy **(smirks then removes banana peel from head)**.Yes, people, I am still hiding from the animals. And I have acquired all the knowledge I need from the file **(walks out of the alley, whistling confidently)**. Time to incinerate this baby and then –

**Flyff and Fennec: **Look, there he is! GET HIM!

**Me: **Here we go again **(sighs)**… -_-lll

**(Team Alpha and Team Omega chase me downtown.)**

**Me: **As I think of an escape plan –

**Terrorclaw: **YOU SHALL NEVER ESCAPE, HUMAN!

**Me: **Oh, I will, Birdbrain! I do not own the pure awesomeness and extreme coolness that is PoM. Onwards to Chapter Six!

The Welcoming Committee

"Of course. Coney Island. Where else would Blowhole be?" Skipper sighed, facepalming.

Team Alpha and Team Penguin were standing by the entrance of said amusement park. It seemed deserted. The some lights were out, some were madly flickering, threatening to go out as well. Everything was still. A slight breeze blew away pieces of paper and plastic bags a la tumbleweed style. All in all, Coney Island looked and felt abandoned. And haunted.

"What if we got the location wrong?" Private asked, shuddering. "What if Dr. Blowhole and Team Omega moved to a different, less scary place?"

"Nope, the coordinates says they're here," Shadow confirmed. "You know what, this place is already giving me the creeps."

"Oh come on, guys! Don't be so chicken," Kowalski/Lars sneered haughtily, "it's just night time, that's all. So what if this place seems daunting and forbidding? Blackfeather and Team Omega are waiting to have their butts kicked so let's hurry up!"

Ever since his true identity was revealed, there gained a big dent in Kowalski/Lars' personality. Skipper noticed this easily. The tall penguin became more obnoxious and confident with what he was doing. He always appeared smug and there was this more radiant 'know-it-all' expression on his face.

_Must be his teenage arrogance at work_, Skipper always thought.

_**In Blowhole's underground base…**_

"Lord Blackfeather, they are here," a big, grayish-blue eagle informed to his leader sitting on a huge office chair and with his back turned to him.

"Excellent. Just as planned," the leader scoffed, grinning evilly. "Why don't you and your teammates go and welcome them? Make sure that your greeting is warm enough."

The eagle nodded then left, leaving his leader the pleasure of watching everything on screen.

_**Back on topside…**_

Viper stopped in his tracks. Kowalski/Lars became aware of this and turned to him, only to receive an alarmed yet frightened look and a faint whisper from the cobra.

"They're here."

The animals heard the clicks of guns and moved out of the way, just in time to dodge a shower of speeding bullets. Kowalski/Lars looked past where he was hiding to see a big, black cat with smoking machine guns on her shoulders on top of the track of a nearby rollercoaster.

"Team Alpha, I know you're there," she called out teasingly as she climbed down, "And you brought me dinner."

"You're not the only who's hungry," a gigantic lizard hissed, crawling out of a rollercoaster cart and licking his fangs.

"Yeah, Haze's right, Nightbane," a red fox agreed, hopping off a candy stall then grooming himself, "we're _all_ starving."

"Silence all of you!" an eagle ordered, soaring above them. "Do as Lord Blackfeather has commanded. Waste no time in destroying Team Alpha!"

By now the penguins and Team Alpha have come out of their hiding, weapons armed and ready.

"Well, well. Looks like Team Omega is all grown up," Kowalski/Lars mocked, slowly grabbing his tonfa from their sheaths.

"I could say the same for you and your group, Lars," the eagle replied, perching on a lamp post, his sharp talons clicking as they grappled the metal.

"Hey, Terrorclaw!" the fox cried out. "They brought us some penguins to snack on. I call the small and pudgy one!"

Private gulped. He knew the canine was referring to him.

"You're right, Fennec," Terrorclaw, the eagle, concurred, eyeing the penguins, "mine's the one with the tabletop."

_Tabletop? Why I outta-_

Just as he was about to strut forward and express his rage, Skipper was stopped by Kowalski/Lars who looked at him sternly. The leader penguin calmed himself down a bit, knowing that his gaze meant business.

"Team Omega, charge!"

Terrorclaw dove forward as his teammates also lunged into action. Viper, Ripclaw, Flyff and Shadow quickly came to the front, blocking Team Omega's attacks.

"Lars, you and the penguins go and stop Blackfeather and Blowhole!" Viper yelled as his tail stinger clashed with Terrorclaw's armored talons. "We'll handle this!"

Kowalski/Lars nodded and slipped away from the fight scene with Team Penguin. They were a few feet away when the ground below them gave way and they fell into a cage in the underground lair.

"Hello there, peng-U-ins," an all too familiar greeting came to them.

"Blowhole!" Skipper snarled, rapidly getting onto his feet. "I knew you were too much of a coward to take us down by yourself."

"Skipper, always jumping into conclusions, aren't you? I simply teamed up with him to get my revenge on the humans and on you."

Suddenly, a pure black raven came in. His feathers were all sleeked down and shiny. He had blood red eyes that made Private quiver at the first sight of them. He walked up to the cage and ogled each penguin. But his gaze then focused onto the one wearing a beret. Now, it was that penguin's turn to glower.

"Blackfeather."

The raven smiled a bit but then scowled, his eyes burning with hatred.

"Lars Sorensen."

The two stared at each other for a while. Then Kowalski/Lars began to chuckle, not turning away from his sworn enemy.

"You're still as vile and as foul-smelling as you ever were before," he snorted.

"And you're still pathetic and weak-minded, Lars," Blackfeather commented. "These penguins as comrades? I have heard everything from Blowhole and I dub them too feeble for things like these."

"Don't underestimate them, Blackfeather. They've been through worse things than that Fish Face you've collaborated with."

Skipper snickered lightly at the name-calling and Blowhole glared with an annoyed look on his face.

"Just because they've got weapons from the humans, that don't mean they're any better," Blackfeather pointed out. "It's been six years, Lars and I expected you to find better help than these commando amateurs."

"You still doubt us, eh?" Skipper butted in. "Private, breakout, ASAP!"

The young penguin activated his staff's axe blade and cut down the bars of the cage. They stepped out as the villains backed away a bit.

"Still think we're too feeble?" Skipper questioned, turning on his Plasma Whip.

Blowhole pushed a button on his segway and instantly, three, armored Chrome Claws rumbled in. The dolphin directed his monster crustaceans to take down Skipper, Rico and Private. As their fight commenced, Kowalski/Lars turned to Blackfeather.

"Okay, Blackfeather. This looks like it's between you and me," he said, twirling his tonfa around and around. "This is our final battle."

"And I'll be the victor," Blackfeather stated, bringing his wings up to reveal razor-sharp blades on them.

"Yeah, right! Bring it on!"

With no further waste of time, the leader of Team Alpha and the leader of Team Omega collided, wing blades against energy blades.


	7. Sworn To The Credo

**Who I Truly Am**

**(I run into the Central Park Zoo unknowingly, with Team Alpha and Team Omega still pursuing me. Ruckus we created awakens the penguins from their beauty sleep.)**

**Skipper: **Sweet Eisenhower's oatmeal! What's going on here?

**Kowalski/Lars: **Viper, who are you chasing? And why are you guys with Team Omega?

**(Viper comes to him and whispers something into his earhole. The penguin looks shocked.)**

**Kowalski/Lars: **What? But how? The security I made for my file was impenetrable, impossible to get through unauthorized.

**Me (holding up his file victoriously): **Nothing is impossible for the Blue Wolf!

**Skipper: **Is the folder that the human has important?

**Flyff: **Why do you think we and Team Omega are after it? It's Lars' background file. His every secret is basically in there.

**Skipper: **Men, we're joining them. Remember the credo!

**(And so the chase continues, with Team Penguin tagging along.)**

**Me: **Could this day get any worse?

**(Rico coughs out a dynamite stick and throws it at me, missing by only a few inches. The stick explodes right next to me.)**

**Me:** Guess it could. Darn this. Roll Chapter Seven!

Sworn To The Credo

Kowalski/Lars picked himself up from the ground, panting a bit. His battle against Blackfeather was tough. He had bruises everywhere and a long gash on the upper right of his face. The blood from the gash flowed down and blinded his right eye temporarily. What's more, his beak had a crack on it.

But Blackfeather seemed unmarred. He was still as he was before their fight began. The raven grinned evilly at the sight of his weakened foe.

"Lars, you've gone soft," he noted, "I bet spending time with those penguins brought you down."

He swooped into him, only to have his left eye and parts of his face affected by the horizontal slash of Kowalski/Lars' energy blades. He stepped back, clutching the grazed area with a wing. But then, he brought his wing down, revealing a bionic eye on what used to be the left eye socket.

"Blackfeather…what happened?" Kowalski/Lars gasped, both surprised and disgusted.

"After our last fight six years ago, I found it hard to beat you," Blackfeather replied. "So I figured that if I enhanced my body structure and physical fitness, I would finally give you a hard time."

He pulled out the feathers on his chest and wings to uncover their robotic change.

"And I was right."

He cackled madly as he tackled down Kowalski/Lars.

"Blackfeather, you've become insane!" the penguin cried, moving his head to the side to avoid a wing blade the cyborg raven stuck in.

"My sanity didn't help in my improvement," Blackfeather answered, "so I got rid of it!"

Kowalski/Lars kicked him off, but he only landed gracefully back to the ground.

"Once I am through with you, Team Alpha and your pathetic penguin friends, I shall proceed to the rest of the world! I have created a combination for a new, deadly explosive that will surely make the whole Earth quiver. And you can't do anything about it because it's all in my head!"

He rushed towards Kowalski/Lars again, but this time the tall penguin moved out of the way. He managed to lacerate the villain's back and the cut sent out sparks.

"That's the disadvantage of being half-bionic, Blackfeather," he stated. "Once you get injured on the outside, your internal systems also receive damage."

Blackfeather screeched out furiously and dashed towards him, wing blades ready to tear through skin. Kowalski/Lars also ran forward, the energy blades of his tonfa prepared to wedge through metal. There was a loud slicing sound when one passed the other and the two stopped opposite of each other, their backs facing one another.

"It's all over, Lars," Blackfeather declared proudly, "I've won and you've lost."

"You're wrong, Blackfeather," Kowalski/Lars countered, "I'm the one who triumphed and you're the one who failed."

Before he could question it, the raven felt a burning sensation on his chest. He looked at it, only to see a deep slash on it. A direct hit to his power generator. A mixture of blood and oil flowed out of it before he fell to the ground, silent and unmoving. Kowalski/Lars sighed in relief but soon jolted back into action when a robotic voice echoed throughout the lair that was now quaking wildly.

"Warning. Self-destruct sequence activated. T minus ten minutes to total lair destruction."

_Blackfeather must have sent a command to the main processor of this place before I shut him down_, he thought as he flopped onto his belly and began to toboggan out of there.

A groan stopped him in his tracks. He cautiously approached its source and found Skipper half-awake on the ground, a chunk of concrete pinning down his right leg.

"Skipper!" Kowalski/Lars exclaimed, coming to his side.

"Kowalski…what the deuce is happening?" the tabletopped penguin asked, dazed.

"This place is gonna blow. Let's get you out of here. Where are Blowhole, Private and Rico?"

"I think Blowhole escaped after we defeated his lobsters. Private and Rico went ahead of me when we heard something about a self-destruct sequence. Then this hunk fell on me and…Kowalski, you're bleeding."

That was when the penguin noticed a sudden pang of pain on the right side of his torso. He turned to it and saw a lengthy horizontal cut. Blood poured out of it and streamed down like waterfalls. Blackfeather possibly did this. He cringed, but then started to lift the concrete slab off of his comrade's foot.

"Kowalski, what are you doing? Get out of here! Save yourself!" Skipper yelled angrily.

"I don't care. I won't leave you like this," came the reply, shocking Skipper.

Soon, they were trudging as fast as they could with the leader penguin being supported by his lieutenant.

"Kowalski, you said that you didn't care to save yourself when I told you to do so. When I told you to leave me," Skipper said, limping on his left foot. "Why did you say that?"

Kowalski/Lars smiled weakly. His eyelids were drooping halfway his eyes which seemed to have lost much of their bright luster. Skipper could feel him getting weary as they went along. Probably because of his fight with Blackfeather or of the blood he was losing. Or maybe both.

"Of all the things I have learned from you, Skipper, there _is_ one that dug right through me. That I came to live by and made sure that I look up to throughout my life as your lieutenant. And that's the Penguin Credo. Never swim alone."

Skipper felt his heart melt at those words. Kowalski may be the leader of a group that was more skilled than his team, but he never forgot their credo.

_It is guaranteed from the start that he will never leave you behind_.

Viper's words from their conversation the night before echoed in his mind. He looked back at his supporter. He was panting heavily now and was gripping his still bleeding wound with his free flipper. But he still went on, sworn to himself that he will never violate the credo. No matter what it cost him.

They were able to get out just in time for the lair to explode. Team Alpha, Private and Rico were waiting for them outside with the rest of Team Omega bound up in chains. Looks like the good guys really succeeded.

Skipper sensed the grip on his left shoulder slip off. He fell to the ground with a loud thud, but it didn't matter. He turned back to Kowalski. The tall penguin had collapsed and passed out. He crawled towards him and tried to wake him up but failed. He heard his breathing and was relieved to find him still alive, though he could tell that he wasn't in a good condition because his respiration sounded raspy. Private and Rico helped him up as Team Alpha went to their leader.

"He still got a pulse, but it's faint," Shadow informed, frowning. "He must've lost a lot of blood already. Plus, the wound on his side seems pretty deep. We need to get him back to our base right away. He needs lots of medical attention and treatment."

He placed Kowalski/Lars on Ripclaw's back and the animals went out of the now blazing Coney Island. Because of fatigue and worry for his lieutenant, Skipper faded into a deep sleep.


	8. Him As My Lieutenant

**Who I Truly Am**

**(The animals are still after me. As ran I through the busy sidewalks of New York, they pushed through as well, shoving away and/or shocking pretty much everyone on the sidewalk.)**

**Me: **First, my good OCs. Then, my evil OCs. And now, the penguins, who I idolize and am a big fan of. I hate my life!

**(Then, this big, black and bald man in a suit and sleek shades comes out of nowhere and lands in between me and the animals.)**

**Officer X: **So, we've got a mob of critters that don't want walk on the paths Nature chose them to, eh? And they're chasing a poor, defenseless kid as well.

**Me (comes to a skidding halt and turns back to see the man): **Oh no, it's Officer X! Wait, it's Officer X. I'm saved!

**(Officer X brings out his shock baton and turns it on. However, he was run over by the animals and left behind with his face flat on the sidewalk.)**

**Officer X: **Ouch…

**Me (starts to run again): **I thought Officer X was tougher than he seemed to be. Epic fail. Totally unexpected.

**Skipper: **Expect the unexpected!

**Rico: **Uh huh!

**Me: **Note to self: Next time, when trying to steal something valuable from psychotic, way too paranoid, commando penguins and other animals, bring along hoverboard for an easy getaway.

**Skipper: **There is…no such thing…as TOO PARANOID!

**Me: **Whatever, Tabletop.

**Skipper: **I AM NOT A TABLETOP!

**Me: **Folks, please go on to Chapter Eight. I have a bad feeling that this will end up…um…bad.

**Skipper: **You're darn right it will!

**Me: **Me no own PoM. Though I wish I could. T_T

Him As My Lieutenant

_**Skipper's POV**_

I woke up with some light blinding me. I blinked to adjust to its brightness and succeeded. I saw that my right leg was being held up by a sling and was in a cast. Guess I couldn't get out to investigate my surroundings. I heaved an annoyed sigh. Then I decided to look around me.

I was on a hospital bed in a hospital ward. On a couch to my far right was Private, fast asleep. Poor guy. He had his left flipper in a cast and a sling. I turned to my front to see Rico on a chair with his head and flippers on a table, also snoozing. He had a black eye and his head was wrapped up in bandages, covering his mohawk. And, in the corner of my left eye, was another hospital bed. I swiveled my head to it and saw…

"Kowalski," I whispered.

He seemed to have taken the most damage among us. His entire torso was in bandages, with the right side a bit bloodstained. Attached to his left flipper, I believe, was the long cord of an IV, hanging on a stand next to his bed. His head was also draped in bandages, though, unlike Rico, his bangs and the rest of his feather hair were free of the dressing. His beak had some plaster on it. Overall, he would be mistaken as a mummy, if it weren't for the black of his feathers and the orange of his beak and feet.

I heard the doorknob of a door nearby being turned and pretended to be still unconscious but with my right eye open by a tiny slit. I saw Jerry and Jackson come, the teen with a sad look on his face while the adult with a rather disappointed one. Rico had woken up and went to Private to wake him up as well.

"Jerry, what do the results say? Will Skipper be alright?" he asked with after a quick yawn.

"Your leader, yes," Jackson answered instead.

"And how about Kowalski?"

That was when Jerry broke down.

"He…has little chance of surviving," he sobbed, terrifying me and my teammates.

"Wh-what? But why?" Private inquired again, his voice shaky and tears in his eyes.

Jackson patted Jerry's back lightly, looking at him in a concerned way. He then turned back to my team and decided to answer the question.

"He has lost a large amount of blood. Whatever made the wound he had acquired dug so deep that one of his ribs got broken and ended up piercing his heart. We patched it up well, but his heart would not function properly. We made this device to pump the remaining blood into his systems and inserted it into his heart while it slowly heals. His chances of surviving this are slim. Ninety-nine point nine percent says that he won't make it while zero point seventy-five points out that he would make it but with heart disorders, thus shortening his life."

"What about the zero point twenty-five?" Private whimpered.

"I'm not sure we can count on it. It's just too small. There's no more hope –"

"There is! There still is! As long as there is that percentage of him living, no matter how teensy it may be, I won't lose hope. Kowalski's a strong fighter and you know it! He won't give up. I know he won't! He'll keep on fighting! So I'm betting everything I have on that little percentage! I WILL NEVER GIVE UP ON HIM!"

Stunned by Private's outcry, the humans left the room, leaving our youngest to cry on Rico's shoulder. They also went out a while later, perhaps to get some fresh air or something to eat.

I opened my eyes and turned to my lieutenant. I could feel tears flowing down my face as I looked at him, full of despair. Memories quickly flooded my mind. I remember him jotting down every piece of information he hears and calculating many options on what to do in this and that, most of which we never got to put into action. I remember him inventing stuff that would eventually threaten our existence and destroy everything we came to know. I remember him trying to win the heart of Doris the dolphin but fail miserably. And then there were those times when he would shriek like a little girl when something scary or dangerous came his way. Especially when it was time to visit the dentist.

I chuckled at the last thought. His squeals were hysterical. His inventions and concoctions were outrageously life-threatening. His flirting was really bad. And his options were at times completely pointless. What did I get myself and my team into?

My smile soon faded and my face drooped. I might never get to witness those things again. No more options to listen to, no more scientific jibber-jabber to get annoyed and argue with, no more explosions and fires to put out that are caused by unsuccessful experiments. And it's all because there might never be a Kowalski.

I wiped away my tears and took the beret on the desk between our beds. _His _beret. It was tattered and rugged. He may have possibly worn this since he was a chick. I sighed again, only heavier this time. If he dies, this hat will no longer have an owner, have no head to perch on. I could give it to Team Alpha or even have myself, Private or Rico wear it. But this is _his_ hat, _his_ property. I couldn't violate this. It's against my nature, it always has been.

Then, I considered Private's words. He's right. Kowalski won't just do nothing about this. He knows that he's got people waiting for him here. And he won't let them wait for so long. He won't leave _us _behind. He'll keep on battling for his right to live and to be with all of us again.

Man, he's only sixteen and he's already going through all of this! He's still young, still has much to learn about. That's why I made that promise with Marlene a while back. He _does_ need to know more things beyond missions and battling bad guys and keeping the world safe. After this, I'll make sure that he experiences the best things in life. Of course he'll be back in action, but not without feeling good first.

I put back the beret onto the desk. I don't know why but it seems important to him. He will be looking for it when he wakes up and it will be just there beside him, eager to be back on his head.

I don't know when or how long it will take for him to wake up. But I'm sure he will. Like Private, I put my whole trust on that zero point twenty-five percent. Or at least the other zero point seventy-five. Anything just to let him live for some time.

I yawned, rested my head onto my pillow and closed my eyes to doze off. Kowalski _will _make it. If he doesn't, I'll make sure to slap him hard for failing when I would finally go to the Great Arctic In The Sky. Or maybe I won't. Maybe I'll just let him be where he feels happy and comfortable. Just like his names. Lars Sorensen. Kowalski. Two different lives in one same being. He's okay with both, but I think he likes to be recognized more in just one name. Don't know which, though.

After much thinking and reconsidering, I went to sleep. But not without praying first. Praying that he'll still be around after a long time.


	9. A Special Visitor

**Who I Truly Am**

**Me (on top of the Empire State Building): **Guys, I'm sure we could get along pretty well. I don't need this file anymore **(throws folder at the animals' feet)**. So, can we just, um, peace out?

**Blackfeather: **Since you know everything in that file, we need to terminate you to prevent any leakage.

**Viper: **I can't believe I'm saying this, but he's right.

**Me: **I won't spill the beans on anyone! I promise **(finds myself cornered)**. And how come he's right? I'm just a kid! And Blackfeather should be dead and Team Omega should be behind bars!

**Terrorclaw: **First off, if we brainwashed you, there would still be a chance that it'll all come back to you. Second, we are all pigments of your imagination, but we're strong enough to break free and have minds of our own.

**Me: **Of course! My imagination!

**(I start jumping up and down while flapping my arms like wings and grunting aloud. The animals stared at me with confused looks.)**

**Skipper: **Kowalski, analysis.

**Kowalski/Lars: **It seems that our criminal has gone cuckoo either because of the desperation to knock us off or because of the fact that he is already insane.

**Me: **I'm no cuckoo! I'm just calling for my pet dragon Frisk to come and rescue me.

**Kowalski/Lars: **Yup, I therefore conclude that it's desperation.

**(Suddenly, a big, bluish-green, frilled dragon lands beside me.)**

**Me: **Frisk! I knew you'd come! Who's a good boy? Who's the good boy? You are, that's who!

**(I start petting and rubbing him and he begins to whine like a little puppy.)**

**Private: **But how?

**Me: **My mind is an ever-throbbing pulse of imagination. Frisk, attack those bad animals! They tried to hurt me!

**(Frisk growls then jumps onto the mob. I watch from afar as they face my pet.)**

**Me: **This is gonna be fun! And sadly, this story's almost ending. I do not own PoM, the show that shook the whole world and changed its ways of thinking about espionage, commando stuff and penguins. Chapter Nine, coming up!

A Special Visitor

A groan.

That's what Team Alpha and Team Penguin heard after some time of waiting. It has been two weeks since Team Omega was captured, Blackfeather had died and the Earth saved from the villains' clutches. Two weeks since their friend and teammate got seriously injured. They sent messages to the zoo that they won't be back for a while via Flyff's help. And she was careful not to mention anything about what had happened to him. Skipper didn't want to have questions raining down on them when the time to return home would come.

They quickly came to the bed that their wounded teammate was on. They saw his left flipper twitch and his face form a frown as his head swayed this way and that. Viper immediately called for the doctors and nurses who brought him to a room to run some tests. According to the results, the wound on his heart had miraculously healed and is now beating on its usual pace. They removed the bandages around his head and torso, though they left some to make sure that the cut on his side would stay sealed. They also took away his IV but let the device in his heart stay, just to be on the safe side.

Then the medics brought him back into his ward, with teammates full of renewed hope for his survival. A day passed by before he finally woke up.

_**Private's POV**_

I was watching the Lunacorns show on the telly and the others were playing a game of poker when I saw Kowalski moving a bit. I approached his bed silently. I didn't want to disturb Skippah in the middle of their game. In fact, he was _actually_ winning.

I watched as Kowalski slowly opened his eyes. They were like what they were when our mission against Team Omega started, full of life and were a glowing amethyst purple. He looked around him and blinked and rubbed his eyes every now and then, perhaps to get used to the light. He finally turned to me.

"Private, where am I?" he asked faintly.

"You're in the humans' infirmary," Skippah suddenly answered from behind me, making me jump. "Glad to see you awake, soldier."

By now, everyone had gathered around his bed. He gradually sat up, but almost lost his balance, if it weren't for Skippah's aid. He smiled softly at us but then frowned.

"Why, Lars? Anything wrong?" Viper inquired.

"No, it's not that," Kowalski replied, "I'm just wondering where my beret is."

I saw his hat on the desk next to me so I grabbed it and handed it to him. He expressed his many thanks to me, dusted his hat and put it on his head. He looked very satisfied after that.

I'm thankful that he survived, even when his chances were so bleak. He fought to live and he triumphed. I knew he just couldn't leave us behind. It shows that we're important to him. If he died, the world wouldn't be the same for me, Skippah, Rico, the entire zoo and his Team Alpha.

I could tell that Skippah is also grateful. He's been down in the dumps since he found out about Kowalski's condition. And I heard him pray for Kowalski's safety one night. He might have been crying at that time since his voice was pretty much muffled by sobs. He turned back into his normal self after we learned that Kowalski was getting better.

We heard the door open and turned to it to see the Jackson guy come in, that devious grin of his on his face again. I gulped. I had a bad feeling about this.

_**Kowalski/Lars' POV**_

Great. Jackson's here to spoil our moment. And I don't like the look on his face.

"What are you doing here?" Skipper haughtily questioned, sounding pretty annoyed by his sudden appearance as well.

In fact, everyone seemed irritated to see him. They scowled at him like how people would when someone passed by and he had done something that offended them. Jackson simply ignored their glares and fixed his glasses.

"I am overjoyed to see you awake, Lars!" he exclaimed, surprising everybody but me. "Why, you ask? Because, you know, now that you have no more affairs with Team Omega, it's time for you and your Team Alpha to do your part of the bargain."

Skipper, Rico and Private gasped. It looks like they remembered the agreement my team and I had with Jackson when we came back here. To surrender and be used as subjects for his experiments. Yet again.

"You can't do that!" Skipper protested, as Rico held him back. "He just saved the whole world from a psychopath cyborg raven! You should be thankful for that!"

"Indeed, I am thankful for that," Jackson said, "thankful that he and his team will be back in my custody. I have several experiments lined up for them. And I just can't wait to perform them."

"Oh no, you don't!" someone yelled.

We all turned back to the door and saw Jerry standing there. Jackson walked up to him.

"And why? You are just a child, Jeremiah. And because of that, I own this faction. You'll have to wait until you're old enough to inherit the project your father started. And since I lead it, I'll do whatever I want to do. You have no right to make me do whatever you want."

"He doesn't, for now. But I can," another voice stated.

In came a man in a suit and red necktie. He seemed to be in his forties and had a kind yet stern face. I gasped. This man is the…

"President of the United States!" Viper completed for me and we all gasped.

"Mr. President, how nice of you to join us," Jackson sheepishly greeted, taking the official's hand and shaking it with his own. "Sir, I can explain – "

"I believe you can't, Jackson," the president cut him short and took his hand away, "you see, young Mr. Sorensen here told me about how these animals saved the entire Earth from a serious villain. I believe they deserve to be rewarded for this. And that whatever you're planning to do with them to be stopped."

"But, Sir, it's for the sake of the human race! These animals are too capable for our own good and that – "

"I do not want to listen to this anymore, Jackson. You should be grateful that they rescued every person's life from a possible apocalypse, including yours. The scheme you want to do to them is considered a crime because from now on, these animals are to be known as heroes."

"So, will you have me arrested?"

"I would, but I'll let Jeremiah decide."

We all looked at Jerry. He rubbed his chin thoughtfully before he snapped his fingers and whispered something to the president, who nodded in agreement. He called for his guards and immediately, two big men came in.

"I'll get you, Lars Sorensen! Just you wait!" he cried as the men dragged him away.

I think I just made another enemy of my own.

"What's gonna happen to him?" I asked.

"It's nothing. Just a little brainwashing," Jerry replied, making everyone laugh.

The laughter soon died, however, as me, my team, Skipper, Rico and Private saluted the president. Jerry handed a translating device to him and he put it in his ear.

"Pardon us for our, uh, conditions, Sir," I addressed him, trying to look as serious as I can.

"Ah, no need for that. At ease, soldiers," he shook off and we relaxed, "I am truly honored to be standing in front of such amazing creatures. You have done America and the world a huge favor."

"It's our job, Sir. May I ask what is to become of Project Super Troop now that its leader is bound to forget it?"

"It will be shut down for good. Animals are not science experiments. Jerry here, will be put under the watchful eye of a relative of his in Detroit, Michigan where he will live a normal life. But since his father, Larson Sorensen, was a scientist of ours, it is guaranteed that he will have his place in the government once he graduates college."

I sighed and smiled at Jerry. He smiled back and gave me a thumb up.

"Now, about you animals," the president said and I turned my attention back to him. "We shall discuss everything in my limo. I have an urgent meeting and I will talk about this along the way."

Jerry helped me out of my bed and made sure I was alright. I told him I was fine and we all left the ward and the base. Wonder what the president was going to say to us? I felt nervous but a sudden wave of reassurance calmed me down as I stepped into a sleek, black limousine.


	10. Welcome Home, Kowalski

**Who I Truly Am**

**Me: **Folks, I'm afraid you have reached the end of this story. I thank you for everything. Your reviews have received inspired me to write down all the PoM stories and ideas I have in my head . So I assure you that there will be more fanfics coming, especially a possible sequel for a certain story I have already posted… ;D

**Skipper: **And it is guaranteed that we will be there to make your life a living hell for going through our secret files.

**Me: **Okay, then. Anyway, I won't let you guys wait any longer. Here's Chapter Ten, the last one for TBITB. For the last time in this story, I do not (but maybe someday) own PoM. This is the Blue Wolf signing off. See ya real soon! XD

Welcome Home, Kowalski

The animals were in a limo driving through New York. They were on a seat opposite the one which the president sat on. Before leaving, they said their goodbyes to Jerry who climbed aboard a plane to Michigan where his uncle was waiting for him. It was still early that morning so there were only a few people on the streets.

"Since you are free now, you have the choice to go wherever you think is suitable to be called your home," the president said.

"We would like to be back at our zoo, Mr. President," Skipper stated as Private and Rico beside him nodded.

"I'd be glad to be in India, Sir," Viper decided, "I heard cobras there are practically worshipped."

"I have a pack in Yellowstone that needs me," Ripclaw informed.

"Pennsylvania sounds good for me," Shadow declared, shrugging his shoulders.

"New York seems nice, especially since I've found someone to be with," Flyff giggled as she came to Rico who wrapped his flipper around her and kissed her on her forehead.

The rest, including the president, laughed as the now couple blushed a bit.

"Lars, how would you like to be part of the Secret Service?" the president asked. "I could use someone like you on my side."

The limo grew silent, except for the humming of its engine. Team Alpha and Team Penguin turned to Kowalski/Lars as he thought deeply.

"Thank you, Sir, but no thanks," he finally stated, surprising everyone.

The animals knew that the penguin always dreamed to be in a higher position. Yet here he was turning down possibly the offer he was waiting for.

"But Lars, this is the thing you have been wishing for your entire life! It won't be asked again!" Viper exclaimed in disbelief. "This happens once in a lifetime! Think it through!"

"And I already did," Kowalski/Lars answered.

"Fish and chips, man!" Skipper cried out suddenly. "What you will be doing will be forever etched in penguin history. You will be the first to work for the human government!"

"I already have a job and a home. And it's in the Central Park Zoo, with you, Rico and Private. I'm your lieutenant, Rico's supporter and Private's mentor. That's all I have and will ever ask for. You're my team and my responsibility and I live by our credo. Never swim alone."

His little speech hushed everybody down again. Viper smiled then patted his leader's shoulder with his tail.

"Well Lars, it looks like you've got yourself the best home to be in right now," the cobra said. "I couldn't be any happier for you."

"Yeah, Commander Lars. I'm glad you live with good friends," Ripclaw yipped in joy.

"As long as you're fine with it, it's alright with me," Shadow agreed, taking off his boss' beret and messing up his feather hair.

"Me too. Plus, I can keep an eye on you," Flyff added as she cuddled up on Rico's chest.

"Thanks for your understanding, guys," the tall penguin chuckled, seizing his hat and putting it back on. "And it's Kowalski."

"Whatever, Kowalski," Team Alpha chimed altogether.

_**Skipper's POV**_

I watched as Kowalski and his team laughed. Looks like he chose to be recognized as Kowalski, my right hand, somewhat Rico's backer and Private's guru instead of Lars Sorensen, leader of Team Alpha and the one who saved the world from Blackfeather and Team Omega.

I turned to Private. He had the widest grin I have ever seen on his face. He seemed happy that Kowalski will be staying with us. I think that Kowalski is like a big brother to him. The young soldier always comes to my lieutenant first for advice or answers to questions in his mind.

Rico also looked contented. Though he and Kowalski often have these quarrels about which among brute force and intelligence gets things going, he always had the scientist to back him up with some situations. And he would do the same for him.

I felt bad that Kowalski gave away his chance to be in the president's Secret Service. He would've made Manfredi and Johnson in the Great Arctic In The Sky proud. But somehow, I think that they're actually prouder than proud. Beaming with pride, I guess. Because that's how I'm feeling now.

He appeared to know that everything won't be the same if he goes. He really is one smart guy. But sometimes too smart for his own good that he starts inventing world-destroying devices and become obsessed with science and stuff like that. Note to self: Apply a curfew on the time Kowalski spends in his lab and limit the jibber-jabber in his vocabulary.

"We're here now. The Central Park Zoo," the president informed, bringing me back to my senses.

I, Kowalski, Private, Rico and his new girlfriend Flyff hopped off the limo. The president saluted us and we bade farewell to him, Viper, Shadow and Ripclaw as the vehicle drove off.

"Surprise!" all the zoo residents greeted once we came in.

They have prepared a party for us! There were streamers here, delicious food there and a sign hung above us. Didn't know what it read but guess it was something like "Welcome home, Penguins!".

"So, what do you think?" Marlene asked as she came to me.

I smiled, took her into my flippers and leaned in for a kiss. I soon broke away and saw the shocked expression on her suddenly red face.

"It's wonderful, Marlene. And so are you," I suavely answered as I put my flipper on her shoulder.

She beamed and kissed my cheek, making me feel hot. I heard Rico's whistle as Kowalski elbowed me and Private giggled.

"What is to be going on here?" I heard Ringtail's yell. "This is not Valentine's time. It is to be partying time. So let's boogie and shake our booties!"

Everyone cheered as he turned on his boom box. I decided to join the dancing so I grabbed Marlene by her right paw and began to party.

_Later that night…_

_**Kowalski's POV**_

As the party still went on, I entered the HQ and headed into my lab. I opened up a drawer there, took off my beret and put it in. The hat symbolized everything that I was before: Lars Sorensen, leader of Team Alpha. But now, Team Alpha broke up and journeyed off into different ways, Team Omega's no more, Jerry's living normally and Project Super Troop no longer exists. Now, I'm Kowalski, the penguin who has a team to currently be with and who has duties to fulfill. Since everybody else moved on to better lives, I think that I should, too, because I have already found my better life.

"Kowalski, come on! You're gonna miss the dance-off between King Julien and Skippah!" I heard Private's call through our HQ's open hatch.

"Yeah. I'll be there in a minute!" I shouted.

I closed up the drawer with my beret in it and rushed outside. Skipper's having a relationship with Marlene, which is as shocking as when Flyff told us her boyfriend was Rico. And now, he's throwing a dance contest against Julien! Time to find out if Skipper really has a dancer within him. Boy, this is gonna be fun!


End file.
